Tie plates for concrete railroad ties



Nov. 6, 1962 T. R. HANFF 3,062,450

TIE PLATES FOR CONCRETE RAILROAD TIES Filed March 6. 1961 FIGLI INVENTOR. THEODORE R. HANFF ATTORN EY 3,962,450 TIE PLATES FOR CONCRETE RAILROAD TIES Theodore R. Hanit, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Herculite Corporation, Chester, Pa., a corporation of Penn- Sylvania Filed Mar. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 93,443 4 Claims. (Cl. 23S-287) This invention relates 4to tie plates for concrete railroad ties and more particularly to such tie plates which are particularly adapted for use with pre-stressed concrete cross ties.

Pre-stressed concrete railroad crossties have heretofore been proposed, and extensive investigations have been made under the auspices of lthe Association of American Railroads looking to the selection of a satisfactory crosstie of this character.

The provisions for securing the rails to the crossties heretofore proposed have not, however, proven wholly satisfactory.

In the crossties previously referred to, openings were cast in the crosstie from top to bottom and locking bolts were employed for holding the rails and the tie plates in position. Such openings add to the problems of manufacture and weaken the tie. The engagement of the bolts at the bottom of the ties was a source of trouble.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved construction for securing track rails with respect to the crossties without the necessity for employing bolts, spikes or similar fasteners, and which is particularly suitable for track constructions in which prestressed concrete crossties are employed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved tie plate for use with pre-stressed concrete crossties and with respect to which the track rails are secured Aby a suitable adhesive.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved tie plate which is secured in position with respect to the crosstie in a simple but effective manner.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved tie plate for use with pre-stressed concrete crossties which is simple in construction but is effectively secured in position on the crosstie.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved tie plate for pre-stressed concrete crossties which may be and preferably is secured in position with respect to -a concrete crosstie at the time of casting of the tie.

Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the description and claims.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a pre-stressed concrete crosstie showing one tie plate in accordance with the invention in position thereon and another tie plate elevated thereabove;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal fragmentary sectional view of the crosstie and tie plate and taken approximately on the line 2-2 of FIG. l; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes can be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Like numerals eral views.

refer to like parts throughout the sev- In order that 'the invention may be more readily understood, reference will iirst be had to a pre-stressed concrete crosstie 10r of satisfactory design for which the tie plates 11 of the present invention are particularly suitable.

The crosstie 10, of a type tested by the research laboratories of the Association of American Railroads, includes an elongated body 15 of concrete, of predetermined dimensions, of a length of the order of eight and one-half feet, a maximum width of the order of about twelve inches, and a total height of the order of seven inches.

A top face 16 is provided and downwardly inclined side faces 17 from which side margins 18 extend downwardly to chamfered edges 19. The chamfered edges 19 are connected by a bottom face 20 which is dished in- Wardly from each end face 21, preferably ibeing elevated at the center about one-half inch.

The midportion of the crosstie 10, and -approximately the central third part thereof, has cutaway vportions 22 on each side with a downward central extension 23, the shaping at the cutaway portions 22 preventing binding of track ballast at this location.

Within the interior of the -body portion 115 of the tie 10 four seven wire strands 24 of wire are longitudinally disposed in spaced relation, the strands 24 preferably being seven-sixteenth inch strands, the wire being uncoated and stressed relieved with a minimum breaking strength of twenty-seven thousand pounds. The initial pre-stress is of the order of of the minimum breaking strength or 20,250 pounds per strand.

The concrete of the body 15 is of Portland cement, mineral (granite) aggregate, and water, with a minimum ultimate strength of 600() p.s.i. in 28 days with a maximum water-cement ratio of 5 gallons of water per sack of cement.

A crosstie 10 of this type has increased stability due to added weight, maintains good bond with the ballast to prevent creeping, is free from variations that are encountered with wood ties and has an almost indefinite life, as well as other advantages.

Prior attempts to secure rails to concrete crossties have not been wholly satisfactory and the tie plate 11 of the present invention provides a solution to this heretofore vexing problem.

The tie plate 11 preferably includes a central body portion 25, of a width between opposite side faces 25 of about iive inches, having a flat bottom 26 for engagement with the top face 16 of the tie 10, a top face portion 27 with a slope between opposite shoulders 28. The shoulders 28 have internal vertical faces 29. The slope between the faces 29 is of the order of one to forty and the face portion 27 between the shoulders 29 can be in the range of about six and thirteen sixteenths inches to six and seven eights inches, dependent upon the size desired for a particular rail 35.

The body portion 25 of the tie plate 11 has extending outwardly therefrom a pair of opposite legs 30 and 31 which include, for the leg 30, a longer horizontal connecting portion 32, and for the leg 31 a shorter horizontal connecting portion 33.

The body portion 25 of the tie plate 11 also yhas extending therefrom an additional pair of legs 30a and 31a horizontally spaced with respect to the legs 30 Aand 31, and of similar shape and construction.

Each of the legs 30, 31, 30a and 31a, -at its lower margin, is provided with an enlarged cylindrical foot 34 for purposes of aiding the retention of the tie plate 11 with respect to the crosstie 10. It will be noted that the feet 34 are in spaced relation to each other, horizontally considered, and that crosswise of the tie 11 the feet 34 at each side are offset with respect to each other.

The tie plates 11 are preferably initially placed on the ties 10 with their legs 30, 31, 30a and 31a extending vertically while the tie 10 is being formed and in such manner that the concrete forming the -body 15 of the tie 10 will be in engagement with the legs 30, 31, 30a and 31a, the feet 34 and the bottom face 26 of the tie plate 11.

The legs 30, 31, 30a and 31a can initially be formed from at plate material and bent to their positions for use. The legs 30, 31,3041 and 31a, and their feet 34 preferably extend into the body 16 of the tie 10 and below the top :face 16 of the tie 10 `a distance of the order of two and tive eighths inches.

The feet 34 are also preferably located with a clearance of the order of three quarters of an inch with respect to the pre-stressing strands 24 so that no aggregate employed in the concrete can ll the space between any foot 34 and any strand 24 thereby facilitating the proper location of the legs 30, 31, 30a and 31a and feet 34 within the body 15 of the tie 10.

The tie plate 11 of the present invention is particularly suited for mounting a track rail 35 thereon, and with the bottom face 36 of the bottom flange 37 held in p-osition by an adhesive layer 38 interposed between the bottom face 36 and the top face portion 27 of the plate 11. The adhesive layer can have upward extensions 38a between the faces 29 and the side faces 39 of the bottom ange 37.

One suitable adhesive for the layer 38 is an epoxy resin and its curing agent by which the resin is converted to a thermoset polymer and is described in the American Railway Engineering Association Bulletin, volume 62, No. 562, January 1961, and referred to therein particularly as Formulation 991-67.

This formulation is as follows:

Resin portion:

Same Formula Based Pounds Gallons Material on 100 parts by Weight of Resin (i4. 51 6. 65 Epi-Rez 510 100 25. 81 1. 21 Asbestos 7-TF-1. 40 9.68 0.31 Alumina T-GO 15 Converter:

V Same Formula Based Pounds Gallons Material on 100 parts by Weight o Resin 32. 26 4. 0S Epi-Cure 855 50 6. 45 0.37 Asbestos 7-TF-1 10 6. 45 0. 21 Alumina T-GO... 10

Constants:

Wt./ gal. 11.31 lb., including converter portion. Pot life 21/2 hr. at 77 F.-1 lb. batch. Viscosity Brookeld, No. 6 spindle, at 77 F.

Rpm. Cps.

5 6,000 34,000 22,500 Mixing:

Blend the Epi-Rez 510, 7-TF-1 asbestos, and T-60 alumina to a smooth texture. Blend the Epi-Cure 855, 7-TF-1 asbestos, and T-60 alumina to a smooth texture. When ready to use combine the resin and converter compositions and blend thoroughly. Curing schedule: This adhesive will reach its maximum Alumina T-60 Aluminum Co. of America. Epi-Cure 855 Jones-Dabney Co.

The adhesive described above can be applied by brushing or in any other desired manner to both surfaces to be bonded together.

I claim:

1. A railroad track construction comprising a concrete cross tie having longitudinally disposed prestressing members therein, a track rail, a tie plate interposed between said cross tie and said rail, said tie plate having a body portion with an upwardly disposed face with which the base `of the rail is in direct adherent engagement, said tie plate having a downwardly disposed face in engagement with the top of the tie, said tie plate having at each side marginal edge thereof a plurality of integral vertically downwardly extending legs enclosed within the tie, the legs at each side having horizontal connecting portions of different lengths extending to the tie plate to laterally offset said legs with respect to each other transverse to the rail, said legs being terminated in spaced relation above the prestressing members, the lower terminals of said legs being of enlarged cross section.

2. A tie plate adapted to be directly interposed between a concrete cross tie having int'eriorly disposed longitudinally extending prestressing members and a track rail, said tie plate having a body portion with an upwardly facing horizontal rail base engaging face and an opposite downwardly disposed tie engaging face for engagement with the top `of the tie, said tie plate having at each side marginal edge thereof a plurality of integral vertically downwardly extending legs with enlarged terminal portions at the lower ends thereof, said legs 4at each side having horizontal connecting portions of different lengths extending to said tie plate to laterally offset said legs with respect to each other transverse to the rail, and said legs being in spaced relation above the prestressing members of the cross tie.

3. A railroad track construction as dened in claim 1 in which the upwardly disposed face of the tie plate has spaced shoulders extending therealong with upright faces -for positioning the base of the rail.

4. A tie plate as defined in claim 2, in which said rail base engaging face has spaced parallel shoulders extending therealong with upright faces for positioning the base of the rail.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 557,667 Griffin Apr. 7, 1896 774,441 Luck Nov. 8, 1904 921,746 Snyder May 18, 1909 1,128,668 Earll Feb. 16, 1915 1,320,873 Langford Nov. 4, 1919 1,386,750 Youberg Aug. 9, 1921 1,814,239 Buckbee July 14, 1931 2,496,850 Bertrand Feb. 7, 1950 2,618,148 Reed Nov. 18, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 848,143 Great Britain Sept. 14, 1960 

